Group hopes to define fertilized egg as human under state Constitution

TALLAHASSEE -- Voters in Mississippi will decide Tuesday whether a fertilized human egg should be recognized as a person under the state constitution, an anti-abortion strategy that a group of Christian conservatives hopes to mimic in Florida.

The “personhood” amendment would define a human being “from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the equivalent thereof.”

If it passes in Mississippi — a poll released Sunday found that 45 percent of voters supported the amendment, while 44 percent opposed it — the amendment could lead to the banning of all abortions in the state as well as some forms of birth control.

Personhood USA, the Colorado group behind the Mississippi ballot question, has been collecting petition signatures to bring a similar proposal to Florida.

But Florida election laws already have dashed the hopes of the group to have the measure appear on a statewide ballot next year.

The group needs 676,811 petition signatures in Florida — 8 percent of votes cast during the 2008 presidential election — to qualify for the November 2012 ballot.

And those petitions must be certified by local elections supervisors and turned into the Secretary of State by Feb. 1.

Personhood Florida state coordinator Brenda MacMenamin said the group has so far gathered only about 20,000 petition signatures. (Those signatures also will soon become worthless because of changes in state law requiring all petitions to be gathered within two years.)

MacMenamin said Monday that petition gatherers will start over next year in hopes of making the 2014 ballot.

“We have built a network across the state at this point,” she said, “so it really is hitting critical mass.”

The personhood movement frames its case as the “most important civil rights struggle of our age” on its website, equating it with the Supreme Court’s ruling against Missouri slave Dred Scott that deemed him property.

“That’s basically what Roe v. Wade says about the pre-born,” said MacMenamin, 51, a stay-at-home mother from Port St. Lucie.

The national organization’s goal is to enact a constitutional amendment that would invalidate the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade.

Petition drives are happening across the country. The amendment twice failed to pass in Colorado, including in 2010, when it was defeated by a 3-to-1 margin.

It has been criticized by even some pro-life groups, who believe a protracted court fight would be sure to follow, taking time and energy away from the goal of overturning Roe v. Wade.

And, of course, it has become a political issue ahead of the 2012 presidential election.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, blasted the idea in a conference call with reporters last week.

“We’re sounding the alarm bells now because it’s absolutely critical that Floridians understand just how extreme this personhood campaign is,” said Wasserman Schultz.

The effects of the personhood amendment are not altogether certain, though it could make illegal some methods of birth control, including the “morning-after” pill and intrauterine devices, in addition to abortions in the case of rape and incest.

Wasserman Schultz said she conceived two children through in vitro fertilization, a procedure that might also be targeted.

Outgoing Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour shared Wasserman Schultz’s concerns over in vitro fertilization, as well as what the amendment would mean for women suffering life-threatening ectopic pregnancies, in which a fertilized egg is implanted outside a woman’s uterus.

Still, Barbour said he voted for it because he believes life begins at conception.

In Florida — where the state requires 60 percent voter approval to alter the state constitution — Personhood has at least two well-place allies in the Legislature: Rep. Charles Van Zant, R-Keystone Heights, and Senate President Mike Haridopolos.

Haridopolos has already signed a petition, while Van Zant, an architect with a doctorate in theology, plans to propose the “Florida for Life Act.” The bill, which failed the two previous legislative sessions, would ban abortion in nearly every circumstance by returning to pre-Roe v. Wade state law. It provides an exception when a pregnancy puts a mother’s life at risk.

“I have higher hopes because many of us have been praying more about it,” Van Zant said.

Representatives from two other well known state pro-life groups, Florida Right to Life and the Florida Family Planning Council, did not return calls seeking comment.

MacMenamin said her group plans to collect signatures regardless of the outcome in Mississippi.

“I really feel that if we do not protect life we will lose our liberty,” MacMenamin said.

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Does this mean if my wife is pregnant I need to put an extra dependant on my taxes? Can I now take a life insurance policy out against the unborn child? Will my health insurance now have to change because the doctor is caring for the child, not the wife because only the mother is covered? There could be some interesting unintended consequences, will be fun to watch unfold.

Besides the immediate cost of the Supreme Court battle, they just aren't thinking beyond their good intentions. Will every woman who presents at a doctor's office or emergency room with a miscarriage be investigated as to the cause? Will all IUDs have to be removed, even if they are implanted by a doctor in another state? Will the offending birth control pills be banned from Mississippi pharmacies?

me
"Will every woman who presents at a doctor's office or emergency room with a miscarriage be investigated as to the cause? Will all IUDs have to be removed, even if they are implanted by a doctor in another state? Will the offending birth control pills be banned from Mississippi pharmacies?"

Of course. Remember the American Taliban motto-"The more laws you have to follow the freer you are." And they're doing it for the little bay-bees.
Republicans only care about you when you're preborn. (That also goes for the woman carrying the baby, btw.) the instant you're born you're on your own and it's up to you to obtain food and stay warm and dodge shrapnel.

tinker159
"Does this mean if my wife is pregnant I need to put an extra dependant on my taxes? ... There could be some interesting unintended consequences, will be fun to watch unfold."

About 20 years ago fundytards in Missouri passed a similar law. A 14 year old took them at their word and filed a lawsuit that stated if he was a human the very instant sperm met egg then he should be allowed to get his drivers licence at the post-born age of 15 years 3 months.
The judge threw the case, and the law, out of court.

Mississippi has highest infant mortality rates in the nation, at 10 deaths per 1,000 live births. From their 2010 report, presented to the Mississippi Legislature:

"The leading causes of infant mortality in Mississippi are low birth weight and premature birth, birth defects, followed by Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome, accidents, and maternal
complications of pregnancy. Racial disparities, maternal health, and prenatal care access and utilization also impact infant mortality in Mississippi. The magnitude and significance of these factors’ contribution to Mississippi infant mortality is demonstrated by the following statistics, underscoring the need to monitor these events closely and target interventions towards reducing them."http://msdh.ms.gov/msdhsite/_static/resources/4129.pdf

Shouldn't Mississippi be spending their efforts by saving the post-born?

As for the Florida effort, our infant mortality rate of 7.3 ranks us 19th worst (Washington state is ranked 50th with 4.7 deaths per 1,000 live births). We have work to do with the post-born too.